[Clinical applications of positron emission tomography]

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a non invasive method of medical investigation which allows visualization and quantification of functional and metabolic data at the level of target organs. PET gives access to biological data on regional blood flow, energetic metabolism, synthesis and binding processes. In the brain, PET allows the study of different processes related to neurotransmission. PET provides data on cellular changes related to injuries, dysfunctions or abnormal proliferation. Diagnostic value of PET informations has been documented in several diseases, mainly in neurology, cardiology and oncology. The expected development of PET is related to advances in new radiotracers chemistry.